Straight-A siblings in sync as graduation day arrives

CLASS OF 2005

Twin sisters at East Ridge High will graduate early to join their brother.

May 25, 2005|By Lori Carter, Special to the Sentinel

CLERMONT -- Tim Billon, a senior at East Ridge High School, will be sharing the limelight on graduation day.

His twin sisters, Kelly and Katie Billon, who are juniors, decided at the beginning of the school year to graduate a year early so they could get their diplomas at the same time as their older brother.

So their parents, Robert and Carolyn Billon, will have a triple dose of pride during Friday's ceremony.

"It's been interesting," Tim Billon said. "It has its pluses and minuses. It's not every day that you have three people graduating with honors. It's neat."

Of the straight-A trio, Tim Billon, 18, and Kelly, 17, the older twin by seven minutes, have grade-point averages of 4.5. Katie was close behind at 4.4. They all rank in the top tier of the class of 2005 -- Tim at No. 4, Kelly at No. 5 and Katie at No. 15. Their ACT scores are 29, 29 and 28, respectively. And each one has numerous college credits -- Tim 21, Kelly, 15 and Katie 12.

"They have had a healthy competition going on since they were young," Carolyn Billon said. "It's been fun. They helped each other along."

Katie said the real competitors are Tim and Kelly: "I just let them have their fun." But all three are hard-working students, according to their father.

"I've never seen so much homework done," Robert Billon said.

Tim Billon, who has been a lifeguard at Disney for the past three years and has his single-engine private pilot's license, will study at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. He said he plans to fly commercially after graduation.

Kelly, who works part-time at A&W Restaurant, also plans to go to Embry-Riddle, but her major will be in communications/meteorology. She said she wants to work in television production or possibly journalism. Kelly said she is the only one who will fly with her brother.

"He's my personal pilot," she said. "He can take me up and I can take photos."

Tim and Kelly are still looking for scholarships to help pay the $30,000 annual cost of attending the university.

On the other hand, Katie, who also works at A&W, plans to continue her education first at Lake-Sumter Community College and then at the University of Central Florida. She plans to study elementary education, noting that she has "always loved kids" and always wanted to teach either the second or third grade.

"They are happy to be at school at that age," she said. "They want to be there and learn."

Rita O'Connor, department head for guidance at East Ridge, said she has known the Billon siblings for the three years since the family moved to Clermont from Illinois.

"They are just incredible," she said. "What you see is what you get. They're very outgoing and friendly. We are really going to miss them."

Carolyn Billon said she is happy Katie will still be around, postponing the empty-nest syndrome.